One Man's Notes on Movies and Other Life Obsessions by Chuck Wilson

January 17, 2008

"People talk about the new image of America but to me it's still the old one—Marlon Brando, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe. It's not computers, cocaine and David Letterman. Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Dandridge, that's my idea of America, and who's improved on it? People, if they had a choice, would still want to be Rhett Butler...I like to keep my values scripturally straight. I like to stay a part of the stuff that don't change. Actually, it's not that difficult—people still love and they hate, they still marry and have children, still slaves in their minds to their desires, still slap each other in the face, and say, 'honey can you turn off the light' just like in ancient Greece. What's changed? When did Abraham break his father's idols? I think it was last Tuesday. God is still the judge and the devil still rules the world so what's different? No matter how big you think you are history is gonna roll over you...To the aspiring songwriter and singer I say disregard all the current stuff, forget it, you're better off, read John Keats, Melville, listen to Robert Johnson and Woody Guthrie. Movies too, I've seen hundreds of them, how many of them stay with you? Shane, Red River, On the Waterfront, Freaks? Maybe a handful of others. I saw one the other night, as soon as it was over, I couldn't remember a thing about it. Seemed real important at the time though."